County Record: Digital Edition

Penny Record: Digital Edition

County employees make their exits

David Ball

For The Record

County Judge Carl Thibodeaux isn’t the only one who will be terminating his employment with Orange County at the beginning of the New Year.

Jill Shores, personnel director for the county, reported in addition to Thibodeaux’s departure, 12 others have given notice they are ending their employment with the county. Some elected officials and department heads are included on the lilst.

Owen Burton, Precinct 2 commissioner for 11 years, didn’t run again in the November General Election. Barry Burton will be sworn in as the new commissioner on Jan. 1, 2015.

Likewise, Janice Menard, Precinct 3 justice of the peace, lost her election to Joy Dubose Simonton. Menard’s last day is December 31. She has worked in the JP3 office since 1982.

Karen Jo Vance, longtime county clerk, ran unopposed in the General Election, but she decided to retire at the end of the year after being re-elected.

Vance wrote in an email she is the happiest and feels the most peace than she has in years over her decision.

“I didn’t know the stress I had. I guess it took April 2014 to roll around on the calendar for me to see I’ve spent more than 40 years of my life in this office,” she wrote. “But they weren’t by any means the best years of my life. Thanks to the Good Lord Above who kept putting retiring into my mindset. I kept dismissing the very idea of it, but it kept nagging at me.”

She added several close family members have become very ill and she had to take off from work to care for them.

“I realized I didn’t miss work one bit. I realized the office did not need me there to run fantastically and without any problems whatsoever,” Vance stated.

Vance concluded her email by writing her 60th birthday is on December 28 and retirement will be the best gift.

“I will not be back in the office. I’ve cleaned out my personal belongings so this is goodbye,” she wrote.

Vance plans to do some traveling while retired.

“I like to travel, my husband, Robert, not so much …. So I will probably be doing lots of solo traveling with the Ellen Ray and Patsy Peck group tours.

“Then, once a year or maybe twice, Robert will travel with me and I’d love for him to see Wales, my favorite so far. I haven’t seen Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and much much more of the grand old USA, so catch me if you can.”

Other than traveling, Vance will be “doing lots of relaxing and not thinking about getting elected again.”